Aquino, Xi seatmates in summit

President Benigno Aquino 3rd and Chinese President Xi Jinping would have more time and opportunity to break the ice as the leaders of the two nations embroiled in a bitter maritime dispute would be sitting side by side during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Manila next week.

In a news conference on Thursday, Ambassador Marciano Paynor, director general of the APEC 2015 National Organizing Committee, said it has been the tradition that the leaders of this year’s host country, last year’s host, and next year’s host sit side by side.